‘Friends’ Not Leaving Netflix in January Despite Expiration Alert on Streaming Service

Fans of definitive '90s (and early 2000s) sitcom Friends were flabbergasted late Sunday night (December 2) and Monday morning to find the popular comedy series was apparently set to be leaving the streaming service on January 1, 2019.

The New Year's Day date was reportedly written as part of an automated expiration notice tied to the Friends show page on Netflix, causing quite a stir on social media with fans who still enjoy streaming the classic NBC series.

Fear not, however, by Monday afternoon the expiration warning had disappeared, and Netflix denied the rumors. Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday the show's "departure is a rumor."

Additionally, Netflix posted the below update on Twitter, stating the show will remain streaming on the platform throughout 2019.

This isn't to say Friends will be on Netflix forever, but at least we know it's not going anywhere for now. Last week, Warner Bros., who owns the rights to Friends, announced their own streaming service to launch before the end of 2019. It wouldn't be crazy to think Warner would want a beloved show like Friends to be exclusive to their own platform eventually.

Check out some of the best reactions from the Friends leaving Netflix panic: